With Every Breath I Take
by xx-Secrets-xx
Summary: Sorrow. Love. Loss. Drama. Fear. Oneshots. CROWxFEATHER. STORMxNIGHT. DUSTxSAND. CROWPAW. LEAFxCROW. YELLOWxRAGGED. SWIFTxBRIGHT. CLOUDxBRIGHT. RUSSETxHAWK. ROWANxTAWNY. CINDERxFIRE. SILVERxTIGER. MIDNIGHTxSTORM. BLACKx RUSSET. HEATHERxLION. More coming.
1. Holding You Close

**Today I sat down at the computor, opened a WORD document and proceeded to write this. I had no intention of writing a one-shot, and certainly not one about Feathertail and Crowfeather.But I guess my fingers had other plans. Here is my story. I really like it, even though I have no love for this particular pairing. **

**I have decided I am going to write some more one-shots (probably all romantic), but please give me eedback on whether you think I should or not. **

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Night covered the forest, enveloping every tree, every leaf and every living creature in its shroud of darkness. Not even the warriors of StarClan could pierce the shadows as they watched the earth below.

A single line of paw prints stretched across the moorland, their shapes etched into the snow blanketing the earth.Over the hills stretched the prints, never wavering from the straight and steady line they created, until at last they joined the maker. A single figure sat hunched over in the snow, staring into the convulsing silver rippling of a silver stream.

"Feathertail?" the cat leapt to its paws and stared into the water, its blue eyes stretching wide with agony and desire as a pale, beautiful face appeared in the water. Slowly, one dark paw crept forward to hover over the stream. Then the tom darted forward, eager to draw the feline close to him. The moment the grey paw touched the water the face disappeared into a blur of silver water.

"StarClan why do you torture me so?" the tom whispered, agony pouring from his words like water from an upturned leaf, "Why do you haunt me with what I can never have?"

"It is not StarClan that haunts you Crowfeather," a gentle voice whispered in the cat's ear, "a she-cat that loves you follows your pawsteps, not one of your ancestors." Two pale blue eyes appeared in the gloom, and then another shape, slender and beautiful, appeared on the barren landscape and wound around the tom's body. "A she-cat who wants to know if you still love her."

Crowfeather hissed in pleasure, stretching his neck out as the silver she-cat gently nuzzled his shoulder. Every muscle in his body was tense, and his fur stood on end as though lightening had struck him.

"Feathertail!" he gasped, drawing the she-cat close to his body with his tail. The she-cat purred faintly, burrowing her face into the tom's chest as he caressed her ears with long, affectionate rasps of his tongue.

"I thought you had forgotten me…" Feathertail whispered, her voice ragged with grief as Crowfeather pressed his muzzle to her cheek.

"Never," he promised, "I've never stopped loving you. Leafpool meant nothing; Nightcloud means nothing; Breezepaw means nothing. You are the only she-cat I have ever loved." he mewed softly, licking her neck.

Feathertail purred, rubbing her head against him and twining her tail with his. Crowfeather covered her smaller body with his, desperate to keep her near him; desperate to keep her his forever.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you too," she murmured.

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Crowfeather slowly opened his eyes, greeting the first orange fingers of the dawn with a slow, long stretch. Rising to his paws, he looked down at the goddess before him. Her icy eyes were still closed, lost in the fantasies of slumber. Her silver fur glowed with an angelic light as it rippled in the breeze, her delicate paws were tucked under her body, safe from the world. 

"I'm sorry," Crowfeather whispered, his blue eyes filled with desperate longing and agonizing sorrow as he leant forward to brush his muzzle against the feathery triangle of her ear, "I'm sorry for the cats I love and deny, I'm sorry for everything I can never be, and for everything you are. My longing and love for you will never die, but I cannot break your heart anymore – it is better to destroy my own soul than one so pure. I can never truly be yours, even though you have always been mine," Crowfeather drew is tongue along the tips of her whiskers, and then turned away, "Good-bye Feathertail." He whispered as he began to pad away from the she-cat whose heart he had broken.

The sun peered down onto the earth, its golden light blazing across the sky. Slowly the string of pawprints began to fade, seeping into the ground as they slowly dissolved into memories. A single ark tom stood at the crest of a sweeping hill, his head silhouetted against the pale blue sky and his eyes glowing with sorrow as he gazed at the stream. His mouth moved in silent words, carried away by the wind. Good-bye Feathertail. I love you. With a last agonized breath he turned away again, and padded away from the twisting creek. Away from the empty riverbank.


	2. Torn

**Alright, here is the second chapter. Thanks to my reivewer (yay Pearla!!), hope I get more reviews for this chapter. Oh yeah, every time I need a break for like a time lapse or something I'm gonna use the letters from a reviewers name. Keep a look out for your name!**

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**TORN**

**STORMFUR x NIGHT OF NO STARS / STORMFUR x BROOK WHERE SMALL FISH SWIM**

Jagged peaks rose into the rose-colored sky, piercing the small wisps of white cloud that fluttered across the pink expanse with the harsh reality of stone. At first glance the slopes looked bare and devoid of life, but on closer inspection a cat could see a multitude of small bushes, wisps of grass and tangles of thin, racing streams. The mountains were full of life, if one knew where to look.

It was these mountains that Stormfur saw every morning. Rising from his nest of moss and feathers he would stretch out his powerful muscles and yawn, his ivory teeth gleaming , and then pad out of the enormous entrance to the den into the wilderness of the mountains. His golden eyes would caress the landscape, memorizing every line of the rock, every sharp point of the cliffs and every leaf of the scrawny plants. He had lived with the Tribe of Rushing Water for nearly three moons now, and at last felt as though he had at last been truly accepted there. It had taken less time for the Tribe to accept himthan it had taken him to accept himself.

"Hey Stormfur," a soft, feminine voice murmured.

Stormfur turned; he expected to see the lithe, tabby body of his mate, Brook Where Small Fish Swim, next to him, but instead the black pelt of Night Of No Stars greeted his eager amber eyes. The pretty Tribe cat stood merely a mouselength away from him, her hazel eyes fixed on the mountains that he himself had been admiring a moment before.

"Hi Night," he mewed, touching the tip of his tail to hers in greeting. She flicked one ear to show she had received his greeting, but otherwise remained perfectly still; she looked like a cat made of solid black stone carved into the mountain – each of them a part of each other.

Night was different than the other cats in the Tribe. Most of them, especially the cave-guards, seemed to be as harsh as the environment they lived in. They weren't unfriendly or cruel, just something in their eyes and the way they talked reminded Stormfur of ShadowClan – withdrawn and wary of everyone and everything. It was not surprising that the Tribe cats were like this, one could not be emotional and live in the mountains, there was too much tragedy. The only way to survive was to harden your heart, and not to let grief and fear chip away at your defenses. But still, sometimes Stormfur longed for the easy-going atmosphere of RiverClan, the laughter of the apprentices and the gossip of the warriors as they shared a meal; not the endless defenses of the strong Tribe cats. Even Brook was like that though not to the extreme of some cats, like Bird and Jag.

But not Night. Night was the only cat he knew in the Tribe who would gaze on the beauty of the mountains in the early dawn or who would appreciate the sound of the waterfall as it crashed against the rocks. Many times he had found her sitting by the slippery rocks, her tail curled neatly around her paws, her eyes closed as she listened to the endless crash and roar of the water. He had never said anything to her about it, nor she to him, but somehow he knew she knew that they were alike.

"Would you like to go hunting?" Night whispered at last, slowly turning her shapely head so that she stared straight into his eyes. Stormfur couldn't move. Something in her eyes captivated him, something in those green-grey orbs held him fast. Her eyes weren't beautiful like Feathertail's or Brook's, but something about them made it hard to breathe.

"Uhhh…" he blinked rapidly, feeling as though he had just lifted his head above the surface of a deep pool, "Sure, yeah, that'd be fun." He mewed.

"Great," a smile played on Night's lips as she turned away again, leaping nimbly from the ledge where they rested to a rock below, "come on!" her tail waved in the air like a black banner, beckoning Stormfur to follow.

_**P...H...S**_

Stormfur balanced on a thin ledge, his body buffeted by the breeze, his claws scraping against the rock to keep him from falling into the chasm below. He crouched down, feeling the muscles in his haunches, shoulders and legs tense, and then threw himself into the air. Everything he had lost when he joined the Tribe - leaving RiverClan, not seeing the Clans's new home, giving up the river- was worth the feeling of launching off a cliff into the blank, unsupporting air. Nothing could get his heart pumping and lungs blazing and spirit soaring the way that jumping like that did. He had never known the longing of a kit wishing to fly like a bird until he had leapt into the air, and the jump had come to an end. If only he _could _be a bird, and hang suspended in the air for an eternity...

The leap ended all too soon as his large grey paws connected with the self of rock he had been aiming for, where Night already stood waiting for him.

"Ouch," he winced, raising one black pad. He had landed wrong, and the paw had connected solidly with a sharp stone spike. A trickle of blood oozed from the pad, staining the edges of his paw fur a deep crimson.

Night padded forward, her hazel eyes glimmering with concern. Bending down, she sniffed the injured appendage, and then began to draw her tongue across it with long, soothing strokes. After a moment or two she raised her head again.

"Better?" she asked.

"Much," Stormfur smiled, tentatively putting weight on his foot. It still stung, but he could walk, and hunt, still, "thanks."

"If it gets worse I can find you some cobwebs," Night mewed, already trotting forward to the edge of the rock.

The last stretch to the small patch of moorland where they planned to hunt was easy and Stormfur managed it easily, even with his injured paw. His antics were nothing compared to Night though, even at the best of times he could never hope to compete with her. She flew through the air, her lean body sliding through the wind with the ease of the falcons they hunted and landed as softly as though she had merely jumped a couple of mouse lengths instead of twice her own.

"Ready to hunt?" she mewed as Stormfur joined her on the expanse of springy grass. The sky stretched out above them like an unbroken blue plain, not marred by even the slightest cloud.

"Definatly," Stormfur hissed, crouching down until even the tips of his ears disappeared behind the wall of grass. The mud that coated his fur cracked, having dried during the climb upwards. Glancing at Night Stormfur saw her in the same position, her hazel eyes sweeping the grass eagerly. Suddenly she stiffened, and Stormfur realized she had spotted some piece of prey. Opening his jaws he scented the air. Yes – there was the scent, a plump mouse was in store for them and, if all went well, a falcon as well.

A screech split the air. Stormfur flinched, even after all these moons living in the mountains that shriek still made his blood freeze. A moment later a tawny blur streaked down. Sharp, cruel talons reached out, and shining silver claws dug deep into the mouse's flesh. Night let out a screech of her own and leapt forward, her long fangs biting deep into the bird's neck. Scarlet blood poured onto the grass as Night lifted her head, her eyes glowing with triumph.

Out of the corner of his eye Stormfur saw another tawny flash. It was a second falcon, probably themate of the one hanging from Night's jaws, diving down for the ground. But this predator wasn't heading for an unfortunate bit of prey - no, it's eyes were fixed on Night's back. There was no hunger for prey in it's belly, the only thing that could satisfie it was revenge for the death of it's mate.

It was too fast. There was no time to warn Night about the talons aiming for the back of her neck. Stormfur could only do one thing. Bracing himself, he let out a fearsome screech and launched himself forward...

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Torn II  Duty

**Thanks to my reviewers! I got 3 this time! **

**I apologise for the poorer quality of this story, it is not as doos as the first one or the first part of this particular story. It isn't horrible, but I believe that I may do re-writes on it later.**

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**TORN II - DUTY**

**STORMFUR x NIGHT OF NO STARS / STORMFUR x BROOK WHERE SMALL FISH SWIM**

_It was too fast. There was no time to warn Night about the talons aiming for the back of her neck. Stormfur could only do one thing. Bracing himself, he let out a fearsome screech and launched himself forward..._

Grey met gold, talons met claws, fangs met beak. A terrible, blood-curdling screech of pain flew through the air, accompanied by a bright crimson splash of blood. Then cat and bird fell to the ground.

A long gash tore across Stormfur's throat, sticky scarlet liquid spilling out from the wound onto his grey fur and the green grass below his body. Another deep gouge crossed his handsome face, nearly crossing one gleaming amber eye. His ear was cut straight down the middle, splitting it in half and his shoulder was torn open. Beneath him lay the falcon, his claws still buried in its still chest.

"Stormfur!" Night shrieked, running forward. She buried her face in Stormfur's fur, not caring that his blood covered her muzzle and neck.

"Night," he whispered, his eyes rolling back in their sockets. "Night, Night, Night…" he whispered her name and over. She was the only thing keeping him here, the only thing still holding him to reality. Her beautiful face swam in front of his face, as though she were underwater. Her eyes locked with his and he smiled, and then everything went black.

**_P…H…S_**

"He's awake," a deep voice murmured. Stormfur slowly opened his eyes, feeling searing pain shooting through every part of his upper body. He hissed in pain, his paws scrabbling weakly in the moss surrounding his grey fur.

"Shhhh," a soft voice whispered in the warrior's ear. The tomcat looked up, into the entrancing grey-green eyes of Night Of No Stars, "it's alright. Stoneteller is watching over you," her voice dropped even lower as she touched her nose to his ear, "and so am I."

Stormfur nodded, and then felt himself slipping back, away from the comforting scent of his Tribe-mate, away from the sound of the waterfall, back into the darkness of the unconscious world…

**_N…N_**

It had been three days since Stormfur had been attacked by the falcon; his wounds were just beginning to heal under the many layers of poultices and cobwebs coating his neck, ear and face. He had not been allowed to move or see anyone since then. Not that it had really mattered, considering the very short time he had actually spent in the waking world.

"May I see him?" a gentle voice murmured. Stormfur pricked his good ear, his eyes gleaming as he heard his mate's sweet voice.

"Just be careful, he is still weak," Stoneteller warned. Brook let out a joyous mew and bounded into Stoneteller's den, her amber eyes glowing and her pelt brushed smooth.

Stormfur barely suppressed a purr when he looked at her. She was so beautiful, and more important to him than the sun and the moon.

"How are you?" she murmured, padding up to him and gently touching her tail-tip to his.

"Better," he purred, moving back in his nest to allow room for her. Brook lay down carefully, as though she thought him to be made of cobwebs, ready to fall to pieces if she wasn't gentle. She rested her head slowly on his chest, ready to back off if he gave any sign of protest. Stormfur didn't; instead he drew her closer to him, wrapping his tail tightly around hers.

"I was so worried," she whispered, leaning back to look into his face, "when Night brought you back…"

"Wait, Night brought me back by herself?" Stormfur asked, his eyes widening. How was it possible that she alone had carried him all the way back down the jagged slopes to the Tribe's home?

"Yes," Stormfur did not miss the glint of anger in his mate's eyes as she answered him, nor how curt her response was. The grey warrior could think of nothing more to say, so he merely began to wash Brook's ears affectionately. But in his mind it was not the image of the she-cat before him that he thought of, but a sleek black shape racing up the rocks, leaping into the air and landing, her hazel eyes glowing like sun-soaked leaves.

_**A…W**_

A grey warrior lay in a bed of moss and feathers, his paws twitching slightly as he slept. His lips moved silently, murmuring words too quiet to hear. Shifting in his sleep, he rolled over onto the cob-web plaster pasted to his thick grey coat. Letting out a sharp hiss, two amber eyes flew open as the tomcat jerked away, lifting the wound away from the edge of the nest. He was about to close his eyes again, and to chase after the last tendrils of sleep, when he spotted something that made him jerk fully awake.

"Night!" he mewed in surprise, his muscles contracting involuntarily as he flinched. The slender black she-cat sat merely a rabbit-length away, her hazel gaze fixed on him.

"Stormfur," she whispered, rising to her paws. Slowly she padded forward, until her face was only one mouse-length away from his. Then she pressed her body against his, lying down next to him in his nest, their bodies so close together that Stormfur could not tell where his pelt ended and hers began.

"I was so worried," she murmured, twining her tail with his and nuzzling his neck with her raven muzzle.

Stormfur lay there, completely taken aback by Night's show of affection. Not that he minded; his heart was pounding in his chest at her closeness, and he felt the tips of his paws tingling at the touch of her fur against his side. A feeling that had never entered his mind before suddenly grasped a hold of him as he gazed at the beautiful she-cat, her eyes glowing and her ebony pelt gleaming against his own mist coloured one.

"Stormfur," she murmured, burying her face in the fur of his chest, "I love you."

The breath left Stormfur's body. His muscles stiffened and his sunset eyes stretched wide. Had she just said she loved him?

She is so beautiful, was the only thought that he could comprehend at that moment. It was hard to think with her body next to his and her eyes staring up into his, she was like a StarClan goddess. Without thinking at all, he felt his jaws part, and cool air swept through his mouth. A voice whispered, "I love you too." And to his shock he found it was his. And to his horror, he found that he couldn't bring his mind to disagree.

_**X...S…X**_

"Stormfur, I need to talk to you," a gentle voice purred in the warrior's ear. Stormfur nodded, sitting up in his nest and stretching. His newly healed wounds protested, screeching and sending pain shooting through his limbs, but he merely shook his head and padded after the slender cat before him.

One moon had passed since Night had told him that she loved him, and since he had betrayed his mate by telling her the same. Even now, when he and Night met secretly under the stars every night, he could not bring himself to realize what had happened. And he could not bring himself to tell Brook that he did not love her, but instead his heart belonged to their raven-furred Clanmate.

Once the pair of Tribe cats had reached a secluded shelf of rock the she-cat turned, her eyes glowing with joy. Leaning forward, she pressed her cheek to Stormfur's, and slowly whispered something in his ear.

Above them the sun shone down, and a single silhouette graced the air, its wings spread out as it slowly circled the mountain-top as it searched for prey.

_**T…R…I**_

Two lean shapes twined together under the light of the stars, their eyes glowing and their chests rumbling with deep purrs. Suddenly, one of them drew away from their embrace, his amber eyes glowing with sorrow.

"Night, we can't do this," he whispered, turning his head away from her, knowing that if he looked into her eyes he would lose his resolve and come tumbling back down into her paws.

"Why not?" she purred, wrapping her slender body around his again, rubbing her neck against his broad chest and twining her tail with his.

"Because Brook… Brook is expecting my kits," Stormfur choked out, feeling as though his heart were breaking.

Night froze, her eyes widening in horror, and then disgust. "I see," she mewed frostily, "as soon as a she-cat manages to create your kits you run into her paws?"

"No, it isn't like that!"Stormfur protested, "Night I love you, but my place is with my mate, and my kits."

"Stormfur, I'm your mate too," Night reminded him, stroking his flank with her tail and rubbing her cheek against his.

"But I can't just abandon Brook," Stormfur whispered, feeling his mind begin to drift away as Night pressed closer against him, "not like this. I have to stay with my kits, and their mother, it's my duty to them." He backed away, out of her embrace, his golden eyes filling with sorrow.

"But what about your duty to you?" Night asked, "What about your duty to the she-cat you love?"

"I have to stay with Brook," Stormfur whispered again, looking into her hazel eyes. He remember the first time he had truly looked into those eyes, and discovered the emotion that had lain in his heart.

Night padded forward until her nose was less than a mouse-length away from his. Stormfur longed or her touch, for the feel of her fur. She leaned forward, his paws tingled, but then she turned and bounded away into the night, leaving them both alone with their broken hearts.

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**In case you're wondering, the last two time-breakers are my own initials, and the initials of T. Roxie I. - an author on the site that I totally admire and respect. She is the suthor of 'Every Rose Has It'sThorns' and 'Burning Roses, Silver Thorns'.**

**Have a pairing to suggest? Send it in, all you have to do is push the purple button. I can't promise to write about your pairing, but I'll promise to consider it. Don't worry if the pairing is totally insane and never thought of before... I love that stuff xD.**

**Next:**

**BETRAYED**

**BROOK WHERE SMALL FISH SWIM x CRAG WHERE EAGLES NEST**

**(as told from Stormfur's POV)**


	4. Forever

**Alright, I know that this chapter was SUPPOSED to be about Brook and Crag, but I changed my mind. I mean, I want to write about a different setting you know? Plus it would probably get boring reading the same character's POV two chapters in a row. Sorry if you are upset about the change, but I hope you like this chapter anyway.**

**SC-Bradley - How long have you been registered on fanfiction? Because you can't post any stories until you've been registered for 3 days...**

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**FOREVER**

**DUSTPAW/DUSTPELT x SANDPAW/SANDPELT**

She was beautiful. The way her pale orange fur glowed in the light of the greenleaf sun and the way her muscles rippled under her short coat made her look like one of the legendary members of LionClan. Her leaf-green eyes danced with gorgeous sparks as she calmly surveyed the camp, an indifferent expression on her magnificent face. She flicked one perfectly triangular ear and the tip of her lean tail twitched as she spotted the pale tabby tom. He felt his heart stop as she rose to her dainty paws and prowled across the clearing towards him, her stunning body shining like fire under the sun.

"Hey Dustpaw," she purred in her alluring voice, blinking slowly at him as she touched noses with him. Her touch sent his mind whirling away into a pool of euphoria, and her green eyes so close to his made his paws tingle.

"Hi Sandpaw," he whispered, unable to remove his amber gaze from hers.

"Want to go hunting?" the she-cat asked, rolling onto her back and waving one paw lazily in the air. Dustpaw followed her every movement with an avid gaze, wanting to capture every moment she was near him forever in his adoring mind.

"Love to," he purred, trying to keep his voice matching her own indifferent tone, "now?"

"Why not? I'm as hungry as a badger!" Sandpaw leapt to her paws in one fluid motion, shaking out her pelt in a flurry of orange light. "Sunningrocks?" she suggested, her statuesque head tilting slightly to the side as she watched him.

"Sounds great," he breathed. He hardly noticed the cats around him as he followed his enchantress out of the gorse tunnel into the deep green world of the ThunderClan forest. His eyes followed every delicate pawstep, every swipe of her tail and every twitch of her whiskers hungrily.

Suddenly the siren stopped, raising her head higher in the air and opening her pale jaws to scnt the air. She let out a hiss on triumph and crouched down, her golden pelt disappearing behind the stems of bracken all around them. Dustpaw followed her lead and sunk down low until the fur on his belly touched the ground. Sandpaw was so close to him – he couldn't think, he could barely breathe. He wanted to press his side against her, wanted to feel her soft fur against his, hear her soft voice purring in his ears, and feel her tail slowly twining with his…

The tabby was startled out of his fantasy as Sandpaw sprung forward towards her prey. Her claws stretched out of the pads of her paws and her lips were curled in a vicious snarl. She landed with a thump, and her head darted forward. A moment later she stood up, a triumphant gleam in her eyes and a plump mouse angling from her jaws. She padded back to where Dustpaw still rested and dropped her catch by his paws.

"Want to share?" she asked, waving her tail slowly back and forth.

"Definitely," Dustpaw licked his lips and took a bite of the sweet flesh. It tasted all the better because crouching right in front of him was the she-cat he loved, and her almond-shaped eyes were staring straight into his.

"Come on, we still have to hunt for the Clan," Sandpaw mewed after they had buried the bones of their illegal meal, "if Whitestorm finds out I ate before feeding the elders he'll have my pelt for kit-bedding." She twitched her tail in mock-fright, and then began to bound ahead again on the route to Sunningrocks.

_I he lays one paw on you I'll flay him. _Dustpaw promised, rage boiling up under his skin as he imagined the proud white warrior attacking his beloved. Of course he knew that Whitestorm would never actually attack an apprentice, or any member of his Clan, but just the thought of any cat hurting Sandpaw was enough to send Dustpaw into a blind rage.

"Come on!" Sandpaw called over her shoulder, waiting for her companion at the top of a gently sloping hill. Dustpaw nodded and bounded up to stand next to her. Suddenly an idea struck him, and he purred. Crouching low, he sprung at Sandpaw, bowling her off her paws and sending them both tumbling down the hill.

Dustpaw twisted and rolled down the grassy slope, his paws pinning Sandpaw down as they fell. The two rolled over and over, until at last they drew to a stop at the bottom of the hill, just in sight of the flat grey stones of Sunningrocks.

Dustpaw flopped onto the grass, his head spinning and his whiskers twitching with laughter. Glancing over at Sandpaw he saw her lying less than a mousetail from him, annoyance and amusement mingling together on her face.

"Mousebrain," she hissed affectingly, cuffing Dustpaw over one ear. Dustpaw hissed in mock-anger and jumped to his paws. He sized Sandpaw, and then leapt for her again, pinning her under him. Sandpaw growled and pushed him off her with her powerful hind legs. Letting out a "fiercesome" yowl and leapt on Dustpaw. She scrabbled her sheathed paws against his back and fastened her teeth in his scruff. It stung, but Sandpaw was careful not to draw blood.

Dustpaw bucked and jerked, but Sandpaw did not budge. She hung on until at last, exhausted, Dustpaw collapsed under her weight on the ground.

"Pinn'd ya!" Sandpaw hissed in Dustpaw's ear.

For once the tabby didn't care that he had been beaten, all he could think of were her paws on his shoulders, and her muzzle inches away from his face. Shaking his pelt he slipped out from under her.

"Good-job," he purred, licking her cheek.

Sandpaw looked a little surprised by the show of affection, but did not draw away. Instead she sidled up closer to him, and twined her tail with his.

Dustpaw froze, his amber eyes widened until he was sure they would fall right out of his head. He had to be dreaming, there was no way that the perfect, bewitching, ravishing goddess he had been in love with for moons was really pressing up against him and purring in his ears. Dustpelt shook his head slowly. This was no dream. He could smell the grass and hear the river. This was reality.

Turning his head slowly, Dustpaw rested his chin on Sandpaw's head and gently began to groom her ears. He was sure that he didn't imagine her silky purr merging with his as she rubbed her muzzle against his neck.

"Sandpaw, Dustpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Sandpaw raised her head proudly, her eyes glowing with a light that made Dustpaw's paw prickle, "I do." She murmured, curling her tail around her paws.

"I do," I whispered, surprised that I managed to keep it level there were so many emotions boiling inside me. Pride, excitement, exhilaration, desire, love… I had waited my entire life for this moment, and for Sandpaw, the cat that meant more to me than anything in the world, shared it with me was more than I could ever have asked for.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names: Sandpaw, from this moment you will be known as Sandstorm. StarClan honors your courage and your spirit and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Bluestar rested her muzzle on Sandstorm's head, and Sandstorm licked her leader's shoulder respectfully. Dustpaw couldn't help but staring at her, a longing expression gleaming in his eyes as his amber gaze traveled from Sandstorm's dazzling muzzle to the tip of her exquisite tail. She was perfect, and she held his heart in her perfect paws. And she couldn't have a more gorgeous name either – Sandstorm, it fit her as well as her own pelt. It held all of her fierce beauty, wild spirit and magnificent charm.

Dustpaw was so caught up in admiring Sandstorm that he almost missed his own name.

"Dustpaw, from this moment you will be known as Dustpelt. StarClan honors your bravery and honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Now it was his own head that she rested her grey muzzle on. He leant forward and swiped his tongue over the thick fur on her shoulder. Then he stepped back and stood beside Sandstorm. He linked the tip of his tail with hers, and chanted her name with the Clan.

"Sandstorm, Sandstorm, Sandstorm!" he yowled, not even hearing the moments when he own name was thrown in as well. All that mattered to him was Sandstorm, even his own being paled in comparison to the magnificent being that was Sandstorm.

**_X...S...X_**

The moon and stars glimmered down on the ThunderClan camp, turning the clearing to silver. The area was empty except for two warriors sitting by the entrance, their fur pressed together and their tail entwined.

"Sandstorm," Dustpelt whispered, pulling her even closer against his body.

"Mmmm," Sandstorm murmured, her eyes closed as she rested her head against her compaion's broad shoulder.

"I love you," the world stood still as Dustpelt spoke. All he could see was Sandstorm's ravishing figure, all he could hear was the silence as he waited for her answer. The only thought racing through his mind was,

_Sandstorm, I love you._

Slowly Sandstorm opened two dazzling green eyes and looked up into Dustpelt's face. The expression of pure bliss on her stunning face took his breath away.

She pressed tightly against him and slowly drew her tail around on his chest and then she opened her jaws and murmured, "Dustpelt, I thought you'd never say that. I love you too, forever."

Dustpelt purred loud enough for ShadowClan to hear.

* * *

**I love Dust x Sand together, I'm not sure why. They are so cute together!**


	5. His Fault

**This chapter takes place mostly during the first moon of Crowfeather's apprenticeship, when he was still only six moons old. I am warning you **- **it is sad!**

* * *

**HIS FAULT**

**CROWPAW ****(TRACES OF CROWFEATHER/LEAFPOOL)**

Two forms lay entwined under the stars, their eyes glowing as their voices infinitely tender as they whispered softly to each other.

The trees sighed overhead, nodding knowingly to each other as the wind danced through their branches. The moon bathes the world in light, while the pricks of light twinkling in the indigo expanse of the sky kept watch.

One of the cats in the clearing shifted, fitting her slighter, smaller body into the curve of her mate's dark form, their fur mixing together like a tapestry of brown and grey. The two lovers were as different, in past and present, as their fur. One was filled with the golden light of the sun and of certainty and love, nothing had ever harmed that beautiful pelt, and the heart beneath was soft and compassionate and enveloped all others around it with a veil of calmness and serenity.

The other was cold and hard, protecting the vulnerable creature beneath it from everything that had hurt it and everything that tried to hurt it still. Though the soul of the cat was kind and warm and deeply caring, it was hard to crack that protective stony shield. Some scars could never heal.

**_P...H...S_**

_"Worthless!" the sharp, cruel screech tore through the apprentice's mind, tearing him down from the inside as he cowered on the hard earth. Suddenly a paw shot forward, the sharp, wicked claws gleaming in the last light of the setting sun as they flashed down, sinking deep into the grey cat's fur, and the flesh beneath. The lean apprentice screamed in pain as his side was torn open; as he felt the blood begin to__fill his coat as it had so many times before._

_"You are a disgrace!" the warrior standing above the apprentice yowled, an insane light glowing in his blue eyes as he raised one paw as though to strike the small cat pinned beneath him again. The apprentice struggled feebly, trying to escape the hold of the warrior. But the older tom was heavier and stronger, and didn't have his own blood turning his coat ginger__ – he pinned down the young cat easily with one paw_

_As though enraged by the apprentice's __pathetic wriggling he crashed down his raised forepaw, its claws still stained with the small cat's blood, on the exposed throat of the cat beneath him. _

_"You are a disgrace to WindClan! You are a disgrace to StarClan! You are a disgrace to the cat form you inhabit!" with every twisted word the warrior pressed down harder, purring in perverted amusement as he watched the small grey tom writhe on the ground stained with his own blood, desperate for air. _

_The small apprentice saw the world fading away, darkness beginning to creep into the sides of his vision. He was slipping away; he felt his body begin to fall…_

_Then the older cat let go, stepping away and kicking dust at the small grey cat as though burying his dirt. The dark grey shape gasped and splutter, feeling his lungs screaming with pain with every breath. He fought to cling to life, knowing that if he let go of his hold for even an instant he would vanish forever._

_"It's so unfortunate that you had to chase that RiverClan vole," the warrior murmured, turning back to face the apprentice, "otherwise that RiverClan patrol never would have done this to you." A warning __gleam sparked in the warrior's eyes. "Right?" he raised one bloody forepaw threateningly, and the scrawny apprentice let out a scream._

_"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"_

_With a satisfied, almost amused nod the warrior turned and bounded away, slipping out of the concealing wall of bracken out onto the moors._

_Even after the warrior was long gone the apprentice continued to whimper softly, not making a move to sit up or even to stop the blood oozing from the deep gash on his side._

_"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." He whispered his blue eyes unfocused as they stared up into the sky._

**_X...S...X_**

_"__Crowpaw__!" warm fur enveloped the tom as he dragged himself into the WindClan camp, his dark fur still matted with blood and his head spinning from loss of the red liquid. "Oh __Crowpaw__!" the soft, feminine voice whispered in his ear as a soft tail curled around his own. __Crowpaw__ looked up, and __saw the blue eyes of his mother staring down into his._

_She didn't ask what happened, didn't say anything else. All she did was pull him towards the medicine cat's den, her tail still wrapped around him._

_**K...X**_

_"You know this is your fault," __Ashfoot__ whispered in the apprentice's ear. She said it so quietly that only __Crowpaw__ could hear, not even Barkface heard her words as he tended to Crowpaw's RiverClan injuries._

_"You should stay away from him. It's your fault that this happened, not his. If you would just avoid him this wouldn't happen."_

_Her gentle voice seared its way into the young tom's mind. _

_It was his fault. __His fault. __His fault. __His fault._

_It was his fault that his father abused him - it was his fault that Webfoot tore his flesh and destroyed his soul. It was his fault. _

_His fault. __His fault. __His fault._

_Every time that Webfoot led him to that gorsebush; every time he saw his father's claws sink into his body; every time he writhed in a pool of his own blood - those words followed him._

_His fault. His fault. His fault._

_

* * *

_

**That last text-breaker was the initials of Kewix, an author who I will be co-authoring a story with. (Still in the working)**

**Next chapter I will probably be doing Crowfeather and Leafpool. If not I think I'll do Tawnypelt and someone...**

**Or I might coninue with the Crowpaw abuse thing. I don't know why but I found writing this chapter strangely satisfying. It is really interesting writing about a topic I don't usually write about. I might... ****not sure yet.**

**Post your opinion - click the purple button!**


	6. Nothing

**This Leaf x Crow fic is probably WAY different than you have ever seen. It isn't a "We're so in love, isn't life perfect" fic. Not that I have anything against that - just read my story 'Together At Last' and you'll see - I jsut don't want my one-shots to be exactly like all the other one-shots out there. **

**NOTHING**

**LEAFPOOL x CROWFEATHER**

I feel the world slipping away as reality comes crashing down, drowning my fantasies with its cold, depressing weight.

What made me choose this? It doesn't even seem like I am the same cat who so naivly chose to run away from my Clan. In many wyas, I don't think I am. It seemed so perfect, so romantic at the time. What could be better than running away with the cat I love, to live together for eternity until we both hunt among the stars?

I shake my head, cursing the foolish youngster that had thrown away her whole life - on a whim. On an urge to upset her mentor that seemd at the time so controlling. At that time I had seen only the fuzzy, warm, wanderful side of the life I had chosen.;

But not anymore. I suddenly begin to see my life without the glow of happiness I had imagined. I now see us padding over sheer rocks, our pads bleeding and torn from the jagged edges, our ribs sticking out like wings from our famished bodies. I see myself with my head tipped back, screaming to the sky. Crowfeather's prone body lies at my paws, his blue eyes half open as he stares sightlessly up into the dark sky.

We are going to die - one after another our bodies will fall to the ground, every drop of life and energy gone. How can we even dream of surviving on our own in this hostile land?

I glance across the barran landscape at my mate. He is scenting the air, searching for any trace of prey or water. At last he turns and pads to my side, I can see mournful acceptance in his face as he approaches me.

"We'll have to stay here for the night; there is nowhere else to go."

I look around at the rocky landscape, feeling my heart sinking into my paws. Resentment fills my throat like bile, and my ears flatten against my head.

"Here!" I spit, rounding on Crowfeather, my eyes blazing, "there is nothing here!"

"There is nothing else," he says, his blue eyes staring into mine, "tomorrow we will find somewhere better." He rests the tip of his tail on my shoulder and smiles gently.

He said that yesterday.

I jerk away from him, leeting out a deep, low hiss. I spin around, flicking him in the face with my tail as I pad away. I don't want to feel his fur on mine tonight or hear his steady heartbeat in my ears. Right now I wouldn't care if I never saw him again.

I lie down on the stone, the sun is gone and the night had already frozen the grey expanse. I shiver, my thin pelt isn't enough to keep away this cold. But I won't cuddle up to Crowfeather tonight. Not again.

Brambleclaw would have found us somewhere to sleep. He wouldn't have given up and slept on the bare rock. He would have searched until the moon was high in the sky for a den for them, or a tree, or anything at all.

Why is my mate so different? Why won't he go to the ends of the earth for me like Brambleclaw would for Squirrelflight? Why couldn't it be Brambleclaw who was sleeping by me instead of Crowfeather?

I can't go on like this. When we left our Clans Crowfeather promised he'd take care of me. What did I get? Rocks - bare cold rocks. He promised we'd start a new life. That hasn't happened yet.

I'll never get to talk with Squirrelflight again; never get to fall asleep with the scents of herbs and water and the wild places of the night twining among my fur. I'll never get to joke with my mentor Cinderpelt as we sort through our stock of plants and berries; never get to feel the burning desire to succeed as I in turn mentor a young cat.

Never.

I roll onto my side, my eyes staring up into Silverpelt. I even gave up StarClan, all for a handsome tom with grand words.

I gave it up for _nothing_.

I don't even love him anymore. My heart doesn't pound when he comes near me, my breath doesn't catch in my throat when he touches me, my heart doesn't yowl with joy when he tells me he loves me.

All I feel is resentment and shame.

There is _nothing _in my life worth living for. Not anymore.

* * *

**I'm not sure what pairing I'll do next - maybe Raggedstar and Yellowfang.**


	7. Wretched Love

* * *

**YELLOWFANG x RAGGEDSTAR**

I hated him. The arrogant tilt of his head, the condescending tone in his voice, that "aren't-I-great" glint in his eyes; it all made want to hurl. His atrocious scarred and patchy pelt was incredibly shabby, his amber eyes were the gravel at the edge of the Thunderpath. How could any she-cat think this obviously plain tom, nearly ugly, handsome?

But how they did – there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't catch him winding his way around another slender she-cat, whispering softly in her ears – promising her that she was the "only one for him" and that "all the others were nothing compared to her". And not a day went by that he didn't break a heart. But even after he ripped out their souls and stomped on them they still mooned after him, practically fainting to the ground when he so much as nodded in their direction.

Was I the only cat who saw him for what he was – an arrogant play-acting at leader? Maybe it was because I was medicine cat, maybe it was because I was far from the beautiful, slender, mouse-brained cats that flocked around him, I don't know. All I know is that when he came to the medicine cat's den I'd treat him as fast as possible, without saying anymore than I had to him. I guess that wasn't the best way for a medicine cat to behave, especially to Clan leader, but it wasn't my fault that StarClan picked that stupid furball as leader!

It was no surprise to me then when he took the air-brained she-cat Foxheart as his mate. She was gorgeous, helpless, a total narcissist and swooned whenever he came near. They were a match made in StarClan.

But when he made her his deputy I lost it. How could he endanger the entire Clan like that just to have his mate at his side _at all times? _It was stupid, it was pointless, it was treason!

"Come to my den now!" I snarled, padding up to him and sticking my broad muzzle in his face. He looked shocked. That was probably the most I had talked to him since he became a warrior. It was also probably the only time any cat had been so… furious with him. All of ShadowClan worshiped the ground where his shadow fell – I was the only cat who didn't see him as a god.

Nevertheless he followed me obediently into my den, into the private area where I slept. Under normal circumstances I would sooner have died than let him in there – but I was too angry to care at that point.

"How dare you?" I screeched, my fur standing on end and my eyes searing into his, "How dare you?"

"What?" he asked, infuriatingly calm.

"Take that pile of thistledown you call your mate as deputy! You know that she is in no way capable of leading our Clan! She is stupid and doesn't care about anyone but herself! Just because she's your mate doesn't mean that –" he cut me off, quite rudely, by swiping his tail over my mouth. I nearly gagged on his fur.

"Yellowfang, that couldn't possibly be jealousy could it?" he asked smugly, his nose only a mouse-length from mine. Anger at his closeness raced through me, and I longed to pull away – but the wall of my den was at my back. My heart pounded with fury and my head was spinning. My paws felt strangely numb. That stupid pile of fox-dung, I hated him, why wouldn't he leave me alone?

"Jealous of being deputy? I'm a medicine cat!" Of course I knew what he _really _meant, but that idea was too revolting even to contemplate.

"Oh no," his cheek pressed against mine as he whispered in my ear, "not that. You're jealous that Foxheart is the one at my side. You're jealous that it isn't you who shares my nest at night. You're jealous of my mate, not my deputy."

What could I say? It was horrible! It was preposterous! It was unheard of! It was insane! It was awful! It was a lie! It was an awful, blatant, shameful lie! It was… true.

I suddenly saw my pounding heart, throbbing mind and weak paws for what they were – signs of my wretched love. How could I have fallen for this tom in my heart, while my mind detested every move he made? How could I love him without even knowing it?

_You don't._

_I do._

_You can't._

_I do._

_You shouldn't._

_I do._

_It's against every code._

_I do._

_You want him to die._

_I want him to hold me._

_You want him to find some stupid, hair-brained she-cat to share a nest with._

_I want him to find me._

_You hate him._

_I love him._

I purred softly as he twined his tail with mine, his tongue covering my muzzle in licks, mine rasping over the thick fur that covered his neck.

"I love you," he whispered. His voice sent a shiver down my spine that made my fur stand on end.

"I love you," I promised.

I felt one paw brush against something soft and warm. I glanced down, and saw the inviting moss and feathers of my nest.

* * *

I watch from my den as he twines his tail around Dewflower's tail, his cheek pressed against her slim silver one. I can't hear the words that he says to her, but I know what they are.

"You are beautiful, you are perfect. You are the only she-cat I ever loved; I went with the others because I thought you'd never have me. You make me complete. I love you."

I turn my head away, feeling disgust fill my veins. How many times did I fall for those twisted words? How many times did he "heal" my broken heart after I caught him with another she-cat by murmuring those sweet nothings in my ears? How many other she-cats have been pulled into his web by those same wonderful words? Too many to count.

My only kit plays in the nursery, completely oblivious to my existence, unaware of the sorrows that fill his mothers heart. He has no idea that theshe-cat who nurses him nad tells him he is the greatest kit in the forest shares no blood with him - no idea that the less than pretty, gruff-tempered medicine cat who sits and watches the nursary from her den is the cat that carried him in her belly. All he knows is the softness of his "mother's" fur and the admiring words of his father. He will never look at me with those golden eyes and say he loves me, he'll never show me the mouse he caught or the pretty feather he found. He is my kit in name only – his heart belongs to Foxheart.

I hate him. I hate Raggedstar for what he has done to me. He tore my orderly world apart, and then left me to clean it up. He made me a traitor in StarClan' eyes, and left me unshielded. He gave me Brokenkit, then took him away to give to another – leaving me alone.

I love him. I guess that when he fastened himself in my heart he got stuck, and now as hard as I try I can't get him out. He is a part of me now, as much as Yellowpaw was and Brokenkit is. And no matter what I do, no matter what he does, I know I'll never stop loving him.

_I want him to die._

_You want him to hold you._

_I want him to find some stupid, hair-brained she-cat to share a nest with._

_You want him to find you._

_I hate him._

_You love him_

_

* * *

_

**Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think that one was really good. Next I'll do... hmmm I'm not really sure. Maybe Nightcloud and Crowfeather, or Brook and Crag. Or maybe a totally different pairing. Any suggestions?**


	8. Stolen

**STOLEN**

**SWIFTPAW x BRIGHTPAW**

Two lithe bodies slunk through the gathering dark, their short pelts rippling over chisled muscles like water of stones in the bed of a river. Two pairs of sharp amber eyes darted from side to side, judging distance and perceiving shapes and colours as they searched the surrounding forest for any traces of danger. Two pairs of white ears twitched, straining for the sounds of approaching paws or snapping jaws.

"It reeks like Crowfood," the first cat, a lean black and white tom, remarked, wrinkeling his nose in disgust. His companion, a slightly smaller ginger and white dappled she-cat, let out a soft purr of amusement, nodding her shapely head in agreement.

"We must be close. It lives at Snakerocks, right Swiftpaw?"

Swiftpaw twisted his neck to look back at the cat following him, then nodded his head, trying to reassure her with his level golden eyes.

_StarClan she is gorgeous!_

The moonlight made the she-cat's fur glow with a silver radiance that the tom had thought was only reserved for cats of StarClan, and her almond-shaped amber eyes were wide, reflecting the bodies of their warrior ancestors in the their golden depths.

_I love you! _

Swiftpaw bit down on his lip, digging his sharp white teeth into the tender flesh until the sticky tang of blood covered his tongue. His mind recoiled at the searing pain, but he refused to let go. The instant he let his mouth free, the words hiding behind it would spring forth before he could catch them and hold them tight under his claws.

_You are beautiful. You are wonderful. You are perfect. I love you._

He couldn't even remember when she had stopped being the kit he had played with outside the brambles of the nursery, when she had stopped being the friend he hunted and fought beside; when she had changed into the she-cat he loved. He didn't know if it had happened gradually, like leaf-fall easing into leaf-bare, or suddenly like the slashing of claws in the midst of battle. All he knew was that he loved her with his entire heart, and as far as he was concerned, he always would.

It was so hard for him not to pour out his soul, not to pull her close to him and whisper the words that were digging into his heart like thorns in her ears when her face was barely a mouse-length from his own, and her alluring scent was twining with his fur. It was so hard to resist… But he had to. What did he have to offer her now? He was only an apprentice. He wasn't even the fastest or strongest or cleverest. He was only Swiftpaw. When he was a warrior and had earned a place in the Clan he would tell her. Once he had earned the respect of his Clanmates and the fear of his enemies, once he had earned himself a reputation to be proud of; then he would tell her how much he loved her, and then he would ask her to be his mate. When they were warriors he would tell Brightpaw everything.

Only she wouldn't be Brightpaw anymore. Once they had driven the dog away they would both be made warriors and would sit their silent vigil outside the ThunderClan camp. The moon would illuminate Brightpaw's fur the way it did now, making her glow like a star. He would see her shiver, the chill of the near-leafbare night creeping in under her mottled fur. Slowly he would pad towards her, and then he would wrap his tail around her and pull her close, shielding her from the cold with his body. She would tense, surprised at the sudden contact, but then she would look up into his face with an expression on her ravishing face that would make his heart leap into his throat. Her amber eyes would glow with the light of one thousand stars, and there would be a gentle smile on her face that would say everything that she would ever need to. Then she would rest her head on his shoulder, and they would both stare up into Silverpelt, their fur mingling under the light of the stars.

_What will her warrior name be? _The black and white cat wondered, his amber eyes roving up and down her slender body.

_Brightfur? __Brightstep? __Brighteyes? __Brightclaw?_

Any of the names would work, but somehow they all seemed too… plain for her. She needed a name that would tell every cat who she was, that would show the entire forest was an amazing she-cat she was.

"We'd better keep going," she murmured, her fur brushing his as she slid past him. Her voice was so beautiful, like running water or the voices of the morning birds as they joined in a song to welcome the day.

_Brightsong._

The name hit him with the force of a lightningbolt. It was perfect! It seemed as though every ounce of her was contained in that name. Her beauty, her skill, her caring nature and compassionate heart: it was all there.

_Brightsong._

He would have to suggest the name to Bluestar. Nothing else would do. The perfect name for his perfect beloved.

_I will be the first to call her by her __name,__ I will be the first to cry out "__Brightsong__" and then first to press my fur to hers as I congratulate her. I swear by StarClan I will._

"Swiftpaw?"

"Coming Brightso… Brightpaw." Swiftpaw bounded up to her side, his fur brushing hers as they began to creep forward again.

* * *

"There," Swiftpaw whispered, peering out between the soft green fronds of the fern clump they crouched behind. His eyes were trained on the large gaping hole that led under the pile of stones. The dog's stench was so strong he had to fight the urge to wretch every second, and there were gnawed and mutilated bones strewn all around the dusty clearing.

"That must be a large dog," Brightpaw whispered, drawing her tail close to her paws.

"It'll be no match for us," Swiftpaw promised, rasping his tongue quickly over one of her sharp white ears, "we're as good as any warrior."

The dappled she-cat nodded once, a soft purr rising through her throat. "Ready?" she mewed, her eyes darting from hisfaceto the gaping hole that housed the dog.

"Always," Swiftpaw murmured, touching the black tip of his tails to hers. He looked into her sunset-coloured eyes, and then leapt forward.

Brightpaw let out a fearsome high-pitched screech. Her fur stood on end and her tail was twice its normal size as she ran out into the empty clearing.

Swiftpaw threw back his head, adding his deep yowl to her war-cry. Adrenaline flooded through him, making him feel like he ran with the paws of StarClan. His sharp claws tore up the dirt beneath his paws, and his ivory fangs were bared in a vicious snarl. He was ready for the dog.

And it came. With a thunderclap of stench and a blood-curdling bolt of yelping the brute charged forward. Its eyes rolled around in their sockets as it rushed at the two cats and flecks of foam dotted its black lips.

Without even looking at each other the ThunderClan cats sprang apart, swerving back and forth as they raced in opposite directions.

_This is easy! That stupid dog!_

Swiftpaw glanced over his shoulder to see the dog standing still, waving its blunt head to and fro as it tried to decide which scent to follow. The black and white tom pumped his legs a little harder, preparing to race around and attack from behind.

Sharp teeth snapped in front of his muzzle, nearly chopping his whiskers in two. He screeched in alarm, swerving to the side just in time. As it was, the dogs fangs managed to score three deep gouges in his flank as he flashed by. Without even thinking he felt his claws sink into hard, rough flesh, and he found himself scrambling up the trunk of a sturdy maple tree.

_There is more than one dog!_

"Brightpaw! There is more than one dog!" Swiftpaw yowled, twisting around and searching frantically for his companion in the fray below. The clearing was filled with short-haired black bodies with paws big enough to crush a cat's skull and teeth long enough to cut a warrior in two. There had to be at last six or seven of the brutish figures.

Suddenly there was a scream, a noise that made Swiftpaw's heart tear in two and his mind explode with pain and fear.

It was Brightpaw. For an instant there was a gap in the sea of dogs below, and Swiftpaw saw a limp body lying on the dust, blood covering the soft peaches and cream fur and shreds of the same fur coating the ground.

_What have I done?_

Swiftpaw screeched and jumped. He didn't care if the dogs got him anymore. He didn't care if he never saw his warrior ceremony. All he cared about was that pathetic, scarlet form lying under the muzzles and claws of the dogs. All he cared about was her.

"Brightpaw!" he yowled, charging forward. He felt teeth and claws tear at his flesh, and the warm ooze of his blood as it seeped down through his pelt to his skin.

Then he found that he paws were no longer pushing off against sturdy ground, but were flailing through the thin air. He felt a heavy weight pressing down on his side, and he screamed in pain as he heard the snap of his own bones.

"Brightpaw!" he yowled. Even though his own blood pooled around his paws, even though it was now _his _body lying broken on the ground, even though he was only a pawstep from death – the only cat in his mind was her.

Teeth sunk into his flesh, then tore away, wrenching a screech from Swiftpaw that made the forest shake.

"Brightsong! Brightsong!" he wasn't crying only for the apprentice he loved, he was crying for the warrior she would never be, the kits she would never had, the life she would never know. He was crying, screaming, begging for everything that he had stolen from her, from everything death woulkd cheat her from.

When the jaws encircled his head, when the fangs sunk into his neck, when his body convulsed in the last throws of death – the name on his lips was hers.

"Brightsong."

* * *

**I love the name Brightsong. I love the name Brightheart too, but if she hadn't have gotten wounded I think Bluestar should have called her Brightsong.**

**Alright, I have a bunch of ideas for pairings. Here are a couple:**

**Brook x Crag (as told by Stormfur)**

**Cloudpaw/tail x Brightpaw/Lostface/Brightheart**

**Fireheart x Cinderpaw (by request)**

**Lostface (like the Crowpaw one, but different)**

**-and-**

**A pairing you will probably never have expected - by request.**

**I'll probably do Lostface next, but hey you never know. Send in your vote, opinion or request - all it takes is a click of the little purple button. :)**


	9. Brightpaw

**BRIGHTPAW**

**CLOUDTAIL x LOSTFACE**

"StarClan…" the words barely formed in her belly died before they even reached her lips. What was there to say? What could she say? She turned away from the sky, feeling hot tears filling her eyes.

No, filling her _eye. _

Slowly she raised a white forepaw, touching the bare flesh on her face tentatively. The feel of that naked skin made her shudder with revulsion. How could that even be part of her? How could the empty, gaping hole where her beautiful golden eye once rested belong to her face? How could that expanse of creased, pitted scar rest where once soft white fur had grown, and thin, delicate whiskers had waved?

She longed to unsheathe her sharp black claws and tear that skin away. She longed to rid herself of this curse, hoping that beneath the peach surface would be her former self: her dainty pointed ear, her sunset eye, her fur and whiskers, her face.

But tearing it away would only mean pain. Mind-searing pain that would leave her screaming on the ground, crying and begging StarClan to take it away. She knew that feeling; she would never forget the pain. It was burned into her memory forever, and no matter how many moons past it would never leave her. The pain that had turned her into an animal, willing to do anything to rid herself of it. The pain that had made her want to end her pitiful existence. She never wanted to feel that again.

But she did. She felt it slowly working its way into her very soul every day. She felt its bite every time a kit gaped in horrified awe, every time a warrior glanced at her with pity in his eyes, and then quickly turned away. She felt its sharp claws at every gathering as she heard the half-mumbled whispers and felt the looks of pity and disgust burning through her pelt.

"I hate them all!" the she-cat yowled, her voice cutting through the still quite of the night. She heard the sharp cry of a startled bird, and moments later saw the creature flying hurriedly away.

"I hate everyone! I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!" With every word her throat closed tighter, with every breath the sobs wracking her body were louder. "I hate their pity, I hate their anger at me for something I can't control. I hate how they whisper behind my back and gossip about me." Her voice sounded weak and pathetic. But what about her _wasn't_?

"I hate myself," she mewed, looking down at her paws. She saw her own face staring back up at her, from the small pool of water resting there. Self-loathing filled her heart as she looked at the face she had once been so happy to see. She had never been a vain cat, but when she passed a small pool of water she would glance at her face, curious to see herself the ways others did. She remembered the warm glow that had filled her when she had looked at her reflection, and known that she looked the way she felt inside on the outside.

What was there to be proud of in the face staring up at her? Nothing. She was worthless, a burden on the Clan. She could never be a warrior, not with only one eye and ear. How could she hunt? How could she fight? And she couldn't even help her Clan by becoming a queen and supplying them with kits to take her place as warriors. No cat would ever love her; no warrior would ever whisper softly in her ear in the dying rays of the sun, no tom would wrap his body around hers to keep her warm in the freezing leaf-bare nights.

"What is there to live for anymore?" she whispered, her voice cracked and dry. Her hopes, her dreams, her aspirations – they had all been slaughtered by the dogs. As surely as Swiftpaw was buried, so were they. And as surely as her friend would never return from the dead, neither would they.

"Maybe, maybe there isn't anything," she murmured, feeling her body raise itself to a standing position. As though in a dream she turned, and began to pad forward. She continued her slow walk until at last she felt the soft grass of the forest fade away, replaced with the harsh, artificial ground of the Twolegs. Fumes left by generations of Monsters hung in the air, filling her lungs with poison and making her cough, her eye watering at the harsh scent.

She smiled as she heard the roar of the approaching monster. She stepped forward again, until she stood in the center of the rough black path. She turned to face the creature that she was sure was coming, that would finish what the dog-pack had started.

"Brightpaw!" a desperate voice screamed.

Her heart lurched. There was only one cat who still called her that, only one cat that sheltered her from the horrific name Bluestar had given her.

She turned, and found herself starting into two eyes as blue as the green-leaf sky. She felt her smile grow, and her heart quivered. He was here. He was the cat she wanted to die looking at; the cat she _would _die looking at. His thick white fur and handsome face would be that last images to ever reach her, and his blue eyes would be the comfort she needed.

"Good-bye," she whispered softly, her voice almost sounding happy. The monster was closing in, she could see the shining lights in its eyes now, covering her in gold.

"No!" the tom standing at the edge of the Thunderpath raced forward, his paws thudding against the hard black ground.

The last thing she felt was his body colliding with hers.

* * *

"You aren't dead. You aren't dead." The soft voice held more pain in it than she had ever heard in her life. 

"Please, you aren't dead." The voice pleaded with her as a warm nose buried itself in her fur. Wet tears that weren't her own trickled through her pelt.

"Cloudtail?" she whispered, trying to raise her head. She let out a sharp hiss of pain. Blood filled her nostrils. "What…?"

"I saved you," he croaked, relief and sorrow flooding his voice as he gently began to groom the scarlet liquid from her pelt, "I did it."

"Why?"

"I love you," he murmured.

"Why?" she repeated, feeling her heart breaking. He was lying, trying to soothe her wounds with his honey-filled words. But she knew it wasn't the truth, no cat could ever love her. "I'm not pretty. I can't hunt. I can't fight."

"I love you because you're you. I love you because you're Brightpaw."

Tears began to flow down her cheek, mingling with the blood staining her pelt. Could he truly see past the scars into the heart that she had tried to hide? "Lostface," she corrected him, cursing the name even as she spoke it.

"Brightpaw, always Brightpaw."

That one word was enough to make the last moon disappear. That one word, filled with love, filled with hope for the future, filled with devotion and loyalty – that one word made everything alright.

Maybe in name she was Lostface. But in her heart, in Cloudtail's heart, she was forever Brightpaw.

* * *

**Yay - the first one-shot in this collection with a happy ending.**


	10. Weak

**Adi SAgestar requested that I do a completely unexpected pairing. Well, here it is. I happen to like this pairing, and it even appears in a story I am planning on writing. Here it is.**

**WEAK**

**RUSSETFUR x HAWKFROST**

Coldness fills my limbs, dragging me down into its deathly embrace. Ice tugs at my pelt, urging me to fall into its paws, to linger here forever.

I let out a deep snarl, tearing away from the invisible claws, jerking away from the blue pools that tempted me so.

_I won't give in._

The deep voice of the wind whispers in my ear, its honey-coated words enticing me. Would it truly be so wrong to stay?

_Yes. _

I twist my head away, hating myself for my weakness, hating myself for my strength. I want to stay, I want to go. I am being torn in two. I let out a sharp hiss as I feel a hot tear slip down my pelt.

_How did I fall this far?__ How could I change from __Russetfur__, the ruthless warrior to… to a pathetic she-cat?_

My claws sink into the ground and I close my eyes tight, feeling my heart race as I feel the warmth of fur brushes my flank. Hot air caresses my neck as the wind returns; breathing words I never thought I'd hear in my ears.

"Stay," it beckons, twining a lithe tail around my own.

"No," I mew, trying to pull away. But my paws are my enemies, and will not move from the ground where I placed them. If I had known then how they would grow roots here, I would have turned tail and ran, ever moving to keep myself from standing still.

"Stay," it whispers again.

I open my jaws, begging my heart to lift its claws from my mind, to set me free and let me escape. But I find my heart has allied itself with my paws. Why is my own body turning against me?

I know this is wrong.

_How can anything that feels this right truly be wrong? _My heart coaxes.

Slowly I lift my head and stare up into the face that has haunted my steps for so long, the freezing eyes that follow me in my dreams. My breath stops coming, and my heart stops beating. How can a single tom-cat make me feel so weak? How can one warrior make me contemplate becoming what I detest most – a _traitor_?

"Stay," he purrs silkily, drawing his tongue over my ears.

I close my eyes, and rest my head on his strong chest.

"Stay?" I mew. The word sounds strange on my tongue, but there is something about it that makes my fur tingle. Forbidden prey is always sweetest.

"Stay," I whisper, nodding my head slowly.

I hear his deep purr; it ripples through him like water through a riverbed. My higher voice joins his, a melody of satisfaction floating up, up, up into the star-spangled sky.

Can our ancestors hear us?

* * *

I lie on the ground, the first orange rays of the sun staining the sky, my tears staining my pelt.

He is gone.

That night of perfection is fading fast from reality, falling back to settle in my memories. His words so filled with passion linger in my ears, his scent still drifts around my pelt. I can still see his rippling tabby coat sliding over hard muscle, and his ice-blue eyes are burned forever into my mind.

Was it worth it? Was that single instant of euphoria worth the pain? Was it worth what I have done. I sacrificed my honour, my loyalty, I gave up everything I have followed since kit-hood. And for what? For the passion of a weak heart, and the weakness of a shattered mind.

I truly know now what it is to be weak. Weakness is lying on the frozen earth, tears sliding from your eyes, your heart trying to gather the pieces of itself together; weakness is your mind still reveling in him, still blessing his name while your heart curses it. Weakness is smiling when you think of him, while your heart longs to tear him apart.

Weakness is our trivial, fleeting emotions. Weakness is the longing for perfection.

Slowly I rise to my paws, my eyes staring across to where I know he is. Is he looking here? Is he thinking of the words he said? The questions he asked? Of the answers I gave him? Or have his eyes already turned to another lithe form?

I don't know. Maybe I never will.

I turn away, and then slowly begin the long journey back to myself. I will forget the Russetfur of the night. She will see the light of day again, maybe even not in my memories. With every pawstep I take I feel the weight lifting from my shoulders. I know it will never truly leave, but I can make it fade away, make it rest only in the dark shadows of my heart.

To the world I am Russetfur, the ruthless deputy of ShadowClan. And that is who I will always be.

But somewhere, somewhere hidden deep inside of me I am Russetfur, the warrior who has fallen. I am Russetfur, the she-cat who cries as my heart is torn. I am Russetfur, the cat who still longs for him, who still feels adrenaline in my veins when I see him, who still finds perfection in his eyes.

So many identities hidden within this single pelt, so many different cats striving to get out, to have their face be the one the world sees. Which one is truley me? Which one am I?

Maybe there is no answer.

* * *

**I really like this one. Do I say that after every one of these I write? Oh well, I think that they get better each time. This is definatly one of my favorites so far.**


	11. Prey

**This pairing has the most requests so I'm doing it now. I might write a really short sequal to it, but I might not. I guess it depends on my mood. :)**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter - I love these one-shots and I'm glad other people do too.**

**PREY**

**ROWANCLAW x TAWNYPELT**

Glowing green eyes pulsed in the darkness, their emerald depths filled with mysteries and intrigue. Sleek tortoiseshell fur glowed with an unnatural light that emanated from beneath the glossy pelt. A lithe, muscular body slunk through the shadows, mingling first with the darkness and then with the moon – staying with neither for more than a moment before sliding into the paws of the other.

A muscular russet form padded after the dappled feline ahead, its sharp gold eyes following every twitch of that elegant tail, every ripple of the mottled fur with the intensity of a hawk watching a plump mouse. His paws itched, begging to carry his strong body closer to that tempting shape, begging to press his wide red flank against that slender body, begging to wrap his feathered tail around that delicate appendage and hold the tortoiseshell close to him.

StarClan she made him mad. He _should _hate her guts. He _should _want to retch when her scent met his lungs. He _should _want to drive her from the Clan. She was halfClan, an insult to StarClan and ShadowClan's perfect blood. Her very presence in this territory was clawing their warrior ancestors, and ShadowClan's heritage, in the face.

But somehow, even though anger still boiled through his veins when he saw her and red fury blazed behind his eyes when he heard her name; somehow his mind had become infatuated with her. Her shining eyes and luscious coat always flaunted themselves before him, making him want to claw out his eyes with frustration. His mind longed for her with an animal desire, even while his heart was repulsed by everything she was.

He had never felt the stirrings of affection for that _disgrace _beneath his chest - thank StarClan! - he had never gazed off into the distance, his eyes clouded and a sad smile pasted on his face as his mind turned to thoughts of her. He lay in the warriors den, watching her hungrily from his nest as she stretched her lean muscles and twisted her slender body. He had never followed her like a kit, obeying her every command and agreeing with every word that came from her mouth. His paws tracked her silently, longing to catch her between them as his eyes surveyed his gorgeous prey. What he felt for the halfClan was pure lust, and nothing more.

_But could it lead to more? _The tom twitched his tail, feeling the hair on his neck stand on end. Could desire lead to love? _StarClan forbid. _

Falling in love with a halfClan – what higher shame could fall upon a warrior?

_Nothing. _And that was why he could never catch that alluring mouse, never acknowledge his darkest secret. If his sister ever found out… He shuddered, a ripple of horror running through his pelt. Russetfur would tear him to shreds for even _thinking _of the former ThunderClan cat – even if there was no warmth in those thoughts.

With a last hungry glance at the delicate tortoiseshell warrior the ginger tom turned away, his paw steps silent as he began the lonely trek back towards the ShadowClan camp, his mind still fixed on that tantalizing, forbidden prey that was always just out of his reach. That always _had _to be just out of reach. Because if he came too close who knew what would happen?

* * *

**Of course we know what would happen - Erin Hunter has confirmed that Rowanclaw and Tawnypelt _are _mates and he is her kits' father. It is a little strange since Rowanclaw (like most ShadowClannsers) hates halfClan cats, but maybe their relationship started a little like my story. Who knows?**

**Okay, still on my list to do are:**

**Storm x Tawny**

**Storm x Squirrel**

**Brook x Crag**

**Russet x Black**

**Cinder x Fire**

**Blue x Oak (maybe)**

**Sand x Dust**

**Crow x Night (maybe)**

**Princess x ???**

**Daisy x Cloudtail**

**Cinderpaw**

**There are also a lot more, but I need to save space - and these are the ones I am planning on doing soonest. Some of them were suggested, some are all me.**

**But I'm making no promise that I am going to do all of them - or what order I will do them in. Also - feel free to suggest pairings. The weirder the better. I can't promise to write every pairing suggested, but I promise to considder all of them. And remember: they don't all have to be pairings. They can be about single characters, events in their lives or anything else you can think of.**


	12. Destroyed

**Alright, a couple of people have requested this pairing so here it is. Thanks for reviewing and I apologise for the long wait.**

**DESTROYED**

**CINDERPAW x FIREHEART**

Lightening tore across the night sky, a claw of flame tearing the blackness into shreds. The clouds were illuminated by the fierce white light, mountains of ominous blackness obscuring the tapestry of silver points behind them. A low growl filled the air like the snarling of uncountable TigerClan warrior; rain fell like a wall of water to the ground, blurring everything into a smudge of grey. The storm was in full force.

The forest was flooded. Water many paws deep stretched through the slick bark of the trees, filled with mud and the decaying corpses of leaves and other plants uprooted by the impromptu river.

Thunder rippled over the land again, making countless small animals shriek with terror and dive deeper into their burrows, dens, holes or whatever other shelter they could find. No sane creature was out in this gale.

Sobs tore from the throat of the she-cat, digging into her flesh and tearing with burning claws as they forced themselves out of her muzzle. Her eyes were nearly closed, and filled with searing tears. She couldn't see anything but a blur of water and dreary colours. There was nothing worth seeing anyhow, not anymore. She scrabbled through the forest as best she could, her paws sinking into the water and into the layers of mud; coating her thick pelt and making her legs feel like stone. Her hind leg dragged uselessly behind her, drawing a trail behind her.

"StarClan!" she cried as she fell beneath the branches of a holy bush, too tired and defeated to continue on. What was the point anyway? No matter how far she ran nothing would ever be the same.

"_I'm going to train to be a medicine cat!"_

"Fool," she snarled, wishing she could claw the naive apprentice until her grey fur was soaked with blood. Why did that cat she could escape down that path?

"_Nothing will ever be the same for you. But in making the sacrifice StarClan will give you a life richer and fuller than you could ever imagine."_

"I wish that were true," the cat snarled, hating the golden eyes that were looking at her from her mind's eye. How wise and old and experienced they had looked, how they had comforted the forlorn apprentice in her time of need. Bu how they had destroyed her.

"You have ruined my life," she yowled to the sky, to the grey apprentice, to the old medicine cat with the gleaming amber eyes. A bolt of lightning tore the world in two. The she-cat shrieked, pouring her fury and her anguish into the world trough her voice. She yowled even as the rolling of the thunder grew louder and lightening flared again. Even when her throat seemed to bleed and there was no breath left in her she screamed. And when she could no longer yell, she cried.

"All I wanted was to escape, why did this fall on me for that? All I wanted was to serve my Clan!" her muzzle pressed into the deep mud and her body shook with her sobs.

She was in love.

Of course she was. No other emotion could tear a cat apart like this; nothing else could rip a soul in two. Nothing but horrific, consuming, inescapable love. But her love was so wrong: an apprentice was not supposed to fall in love with her mentor! It was unacceptable, it was unheard of!

And yet she had – tail over paws she had. Her heart had skipped a beat whenever he had padded over to her. She hadn't been able to concentrate on anything he had taught her, she was too busy staring at his sleek ginger fur and glowing, soul-searing emerald eyes. She had tried to listen when he explained the best stalking techniques, she truly had. But her mind would drift away, content to listen to his voice without hearing the words. All she had cared about, all she still cared about, was him.

He had told her not to go. He had said she shouldn't: it was too dangerous. She wanted to prove she wasn't just his apprentice, she wanted to make him admire her. She had gone. She had padded up to the shore of the Thunderpath, her mind lost in fantasies of what he would say when he realized how clever and brave she had been. How his eyes would light up and how he would touch his muzzle to hers tenderly. How he would fall in love with her as she had with him.

She hadn't had time to move, not even enough time to see what was coming. And then everything had fallen into one thousand pieces. How could he love his foolish apprentice who had ruined her chances of being a warrior, who had ruined his chances of having her become a warrior? She had disgraced him. There wasn't anything worth living for. She had lain in the medicine cat's den for moons, waiting for death.

But then she had been offered an escape, a chance to let her past fade away. She could become a medicine cat, even with her crippled leg she could serve her Clan. And medicine cats could not love. That was what drew her to that path most of all. It was a way out of the hole of pain, of heartbreak.

Medicine cats were forbidden from loving, not incapable.

She found that out too late. She had chosen her fate. But now it was worse – now instead of just being frowned upon, her love violated the very core of the warrior code, and that destroyed her from the inside out. She wanted to be loyal, but instead she was a traitor. Is this what Yellowfang had wanted when she offered this to her? Had she known the secret burning within her?

"StarClan take my heart away! Take my life away!" she cried to the war-torn sky, "All my future holds is pain!"

He loved another. She could see it in the way he looked at _that she-cat_, even though he had no idea of it himself yet. His heart belonged to Sandstorm, and so she loathed her. Many a night she had woken in the medicine cat's den, visions of the pale ginger cat lying on the scarlet ground, her blood and her life seeping out from her skin into the grass below; and she had purred in delight. She wanted Sandstorm dead, she craved the sight of the warrior torn and broken; she needed it.

To love your mentor. To love as a medicine cat. To wish a Clanmate dead: to long to killing her… every second buried her deeper under her sins, every second made it harder to climb out from under them.

"It would be better if I just died," the grey she-cat whispered, "If I just disappeared. If all of this would end forever…" she stared out from under the branches of the shrub, and it was though the forest had evaporated. She could see the Thunderpath as clearly as though she stood on its brink. She could scent the acrid tang of the Monsters and the vile stench of ShadowClan across it. How easy it would be simply to leap, to finish her life in a splash of scarlet blood on the rough black surface. To complete what that monster had begun the first time. It had been done before…

But she couldn't. No matter how much she longer to break free, even if it were in death, her love would not let her. It tortured her, and kept her caught in its wicked claws. It needed to stay away from the starry paths of StarClan, for there there was no pain, no anguish: and so her love would fade away. And she could not let that happen, her love could not let itself die. And so she would live on: tormented by her own soul, perhaps never to die. Maybe she would walk the forest for eternity, even after he was long gone she would remain, a shell of a cat with the merest remnants of a soul: and a love that would destroy her forever.

Not would: it already had.

* * *

**At least I didn't kill her right? **

**Alright, fo the next chapter I want to write a totally unheard of, insane, crazy crack pairing; and I need your help! **

**Whoever gives me the best pairing for this will get a character named after them in one of my other stories: you can choose which one. And I'll make sure to say who they are, how they got this mention and give their stories a plug. Is this an awesome contest or what?**

**You can send them in with your review or PM them to me, if the same pairing is submitted twice I'll give credit to the person who sent it in first. **

**Why are you still reading this? Start sending in pairings!**


	13. Lies

**Alright, the winner is... Leafpool's Loyalty with her suggestion of Silver x Tiger. Okay Leafpol's Loyalty, PM me with the name and description of the cat you would like me to put in a story as well as which story you would like it in ("Together At Last" or "My Heart Longs For You"). To everyone else: Thanks you SOOO much for reviewing and participating in teh contest, I will definatley be using some of your suggestions later on, and keep your eyes out for my next contest!**

**LIES**

**TIGERCLAW x SILVERSTREAM**

"Graystripe these are _your _kits?" the tabby screeched, uncontrollable fury clutching at his heart as he stared at the grey tomcat.

_How dare she do this! _

He glanced down at the kits again, scarlet dancing at the edge of his vision. The she-kit had been given her mother's gorgeous silver coat while the tom bore fur of a dark sleet. He didn't know which he hated more.

_How dare she! _

Long black scythes slipped into the moist river-bed earth as the huge tomcat swung his head around to look at the silver she-cat lying on the ground, her body twitching in spasms of pain. Pitiful mews bubbled up from her throat and her paws scrabbled feebly at the dirt below her slender body. His lip curled up in revulsion as he watched her convulse in a pool of her own deep red blood. It was disgusting; _she _was disgusting.

_A disgusting, dishonorable, traitorous piece of fox-dung! _He longed to say the words out loud, to push his muzzle into her face and sneer at her, laughing as she yowled in pain. She deserved everything StarClan was giving her: she had betrayed them, but most importantly she had betrayed _him_.

How could she have given these kits to Graystripe? How dare she have given herself to that maggot! She was his! She had sworn to her ancestors under the moon and the stars that she was his alone, and that she loved him. And yet that tomkit squeaking on the ground was pelted with grey.

Suddenly an urge coursed through the muscular cat. It would be so easy wouldn't it? All he would have to do was reach out with one paw… and then the last sound that vixen would hear would be the dying shrieks of her own kit.

A cruel smile spread across his tabby face. Oh StarClan how he would relish that, killing her son while she herself was on the verge of death: what perfect payment for her sin! And then perhaps once she was gone he would kill the silver she-cat as well, a final parting gift for the kits' mother.

Two amber eyes still glazed with hate slid to the side, watching the small cats panting on the ground. Never mind that they were innocent, all he wanted was to hurt that vile she-cat.

She had given him everything. She had promised him love, she had promised him hope, she had promised forgiveness for all that he had done. He had looked into her blazing emerald eyes as she asked him to trust her… and he had. He had given her the only part of his heart he had left.

And she had destroyed it. She had killed the only part of his soul not blackened with hate and stolen his life. She had stolen every chance of love, every chance of hope and every chance for forgiveness for all he had done.

"Silverstream no!" The grey ThunderClan tom threw his head back against the sky, screaming his pain to Silverpelt.

The tabby tom stiffened, anger making him turn to stone.

_I should be at her side, it should be I who is cursing StarClan's name!_

But she had even stolen that last right from him.

She had said the kits within her were his. She had told him they would be the strongest, most cunning warriors in the forest. She had told him they would love him as she did.

And they would. Just as she had felt nothing for the powerful tom so would those two cats. She had never loved him, and so neither would they. His blood did not flow through their veins, his spirit did not glow beneath their eyes. They came from a mingling of grey and silver, a pool of shadows where even tigers could not tread.

_They are a waste of fur. The forest would be better without these pollutions of warrior blood._

The warrior took a step forward towards the kits, malice glinting within the sunset orbs of his eyes. He paid no heed to the ginger tom staring at Graystripe, he thought nothing of the pretty grey she-cat bending over the still corpse of his once-mate, all he cared about now was the life of those kits. The life that would soon end.

_H_e hesitated as a thought struck him, one massive forepaw suspended in the air. _If I kill them I shall send them into her paws. She does not deserve even the reuniting of kin in Silverpelt after death._

His eyes narrowed to slits and he bared his fangs in a vicious grin as his mind quickly compensated for this fact, _I will keep them here. I will make their life horrific; I will torture her with the pain of her beloved children. Their blood will stain the ground again and again and again… until even the stars are turned red with death's stench. And she will be unable to stop me, unable to do anything but watch as I destroy her kits the way she destroyed me._

"I hate you Silverstream," he growled, pain and fury making the words spill from him. Scenes and images flashed before him, taunting him with his own memories as he turned and padded deep into the ThunderClan forest.

Silver fur streaking across the ground towards him.

Emerald orbs.

A gentle voice purring in his ears.

A soft tail winding around his own.

"I love you."

"You mean more to me than anything else."

"I need you."

"Always."

"Forever."

"I love you Tigerclaw."

_Lies._

"It was him. It was only ever him. Did you only put on this charade so I would not guess the truth about your relationship with that mongrel?" the dark tabby snarled towards the sky, his amber eyes radiating with hate as he stared up at the stars. "Never again shall I trust another member of your cowardly, deceitful kind; never again will I believe the honey-soaked words of a she-cat. You are a lie Silverstream that is all you ever were: a lie."

The muscular warrior dropped his head, and then continued on into the depths of the forest, his tail traveling through the mast of broken branches and crisp, dry leaves.

* * *

**The next pairing I'm doing has probably NEVER been done before, and I'm pretty excited about it... but I do need some advice. If you'd like to help me out send me a** **PM telling me so.**


	14. Never Forget

**Alright, this pairing is VERY weird. I am positive no-one has done it before. Cool eh? Anyway, here it is.**

**NEVER FORGET**

**MIDNIGHT x STORMFUR**

I wake to the crashing of waves on stone, the endless dance of in and out, in and out, in and out. Clouds cover the sky, shielding me from eyes above. I feel alone.

My head is lost, buried deep in thoughts and troubles. I know not what I think anymore, I know not what I should do.

All was as it should be; before. All around me spoke, told me of things to come, things that had been, things that were. I saw the messages in leaf and stone, in light and shadow, in the racing of the rabbit and the prowling of the fox.

Now I see only leaf. Only stone. No meaning in them, no meaning in anything.

Once I talked to stars, and they answered me. They were friends. They were kin. Now they hide their faces and cover jaws. No longer they wish to answer my pleas.

I feel disconnected – far away from earth and ancestors. My heart aches in memory of what I had. But now it is gone, and I am drifting away.

I broke most ancient, sacred law of ancestors. I was to devote my life to serving them, to the interpreting of signs and hearing what they say. But I turned from that destiny, only for a heartbeat I turned, but in that heartbeat it was snatched away.

So foolish I was. I thought that I was strong enough to have both stars and desire. I thought I knew better than ancestors, I thought I could serve them and my heart as well. So wrong I was.

For a moment, a beautiful, impossible moment I felt what freedom is. What it is to love without worry, without keeping my emotions from taking hold of me. I let myself live my desire, and I fell in love.

He was with me every moment, at least inside my own head. Instead of reading signs from the stars I saw his face; instead of hearing their voices in wind I heard his voice. He was everywhere – StarClan was nowhere. Still I thought that I could be both, have both. I told myself stars were quiet because they had nothing to say.

Then I stopped looking for them all together. All I wanted, all I needed, was him.

His name, how well it fit what life gave him. I looked into his future, before the stars grew cold, and saw what lay there and I knew his name was true. Grief and loss filled every pawstep, even those leading from his past, and it broke my heart to see his sufferings. But at the end there was peace, and there was rest. There would be an end to the storm of tragedy in his life, and he would be happy at last.

Perhaps ancestors knew I would search his future. Perhaps they thought it would keep my on my path. There was no me in his future, no him in mine.

But it was not enough. I thought I could change the future if only I was strong enough. So I left the stars alone, and I looked to him.

Now he is gone. Many seasons he has been away from me. He is in his home now, in the Clans. With Tribe cat he went there.

I saw them once as they journeyed. Once they visited me, for the last time they said. They spoke of their troubles in the Tribe, told me why they had to go. I pretended to know already, my pride could not let me say how far from the stars I have fallen. Nor why I had made the stumble.

He is still here with me, among rock and water and sound of wind. His memory is here, inside my head. I can never let him go. I gave up all for him, and so I will not give him up. Perhaps StarClan would send me signs again; perhaps they would speak to me on wind if I forgot the love in my heart. But I cannot. Love means you can never forget.

The end is coming soon, I need StarClan not to know this. I can feel age in bones, weariness in paws, dulling in my eyes and ears. Long the earth I have walked, now it is time to walk on other ground. Where I will walk now I know not – surely stars will not take me back.

But wherever I will go I will watch the ground. I will watch him, and remember that I love him.

* * *

**Honestly - writing in Midnight's speech style was pretty challenging. Did I do a good job of it?**

**NOTE FOR LEAFPOOL'S LOYALTY: I seem to have accidently deleated the PM you sent me of your character description. Could you send it to me again? I'd love to put her in the next chapter of 'Together At Last' so if you get it to me soon enough I can. Thanks!**


	15. Obsession

**Alright - I'm starting from the beginnign and working my way through all the requests. Here is the first one...**

**OBSESSION**

**BLACKSTAR x RUSSETFUR**

It was wrong. It was so wrong. This was not how the warrior code was supposed to be used. He was manipulating it, twisting its function to get what he wanted. Not that that really mattered all that much, StarClan knew he had done it before. But this time was different. He wasn't just manipulating the warrior code, he was manipulating her. Trying to trick her, to bait and bribe her.

Sometimes he didn't care. When he saw her sitting beside him, her blood-red fur so long and silky, her muscles rippling under her flesh... she was so gorgeous and dangerous and powerful. Then he didn't care how he got her, as long as she loved him.

But under the light of the moon as he lay in his nest he shook and shuddered, chased by his dreams and guilt and regret. Her love was no true love; he loved her because what he gave her. Because of what he _could _give her. He had fostered that in her, that false love. He had lured her with the promise of power, and had gotten what he wanted.

But he hadn't. He didn't just want her as his deputy, or even just as his mate. He wanted her to love him, really love him; the way he loved her.

He couldn't stop thinking about her. She was the one who ran the Clan now, he couldn't disagree with her. Every breath, every paw step, every heartbeat – it was all for her. Every thought had her deep green eyes staring at him, his lean body brushing against his. He loved her so much it took his breath away, leaving him battered and empty.

When she whispered in his ear that she loved him, when she coiled her long tail around his and held him close – his heart soared.

_Maybe she isn't lying. Maybe she isn't using me. Maybe..._

She always was. In the morning she would just be his deputy again, not his mate. When the sun was watching she never gave him tender glances or cooed softly in his ears. Not how mates would. Not how she would if she loved him.

He could make her step down; make her become just a warrior again. She didn't love him anyways. Maybe the hurt wouldn't be so deep if she wasn't with him always...

But she'd always be with him, stalking his thoughts, hovering on the edge of his mind. Even if she were a warrior he would love her, and she would not.

At least he could hope, pretend. And in the nights he could try to believe it was real.


	16. Could Have Been

**This one was not the next one requested, but I had an amazing inspiration suddenly and decided to write it. Don't worry, I'm still going to write the requests though. Well, not all of them. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be writing any slash pairings. Everything else though gets the green light. So request your favorite ship!**

**COULD HAVE BEEN**

**HEATHERPAW x LIONPAW / HEATHEREYES x LIONTHROAT**

The queen rested her head on paws, staring out between the fronds of bracken at the night sky. A half-moon hung in the sky; dainty points of light dusted the black expanse of the heavens. A light breeze scampered across the camp, a welcome break from the green-leaf heat.

The beautiful she-cat shifted in her moss, shoving some of the bedding away with her hind paws in an attempt to cool off. A sharp kick pounded her belly. Heathereyes winced, brushing the tip of her tail across her belly.

"Shhhh." She murmured, her eyes roaming across the distended flesh of her stomach. It had been nearly two moons since Barkface had declared her pregnant, she would be a mother soon.

But even now, even as the kits of Harespring grew in her belly, she could not believe she was truly happy. Her mate loved her, he adored her, but she could not love him back. When he had confessed how deeply he cared for her she hadn't the heart to tell him she didn't feel the same way, not after what had happened to her. So she had put on a smile and twined her tail with his, even as her lie was eating away at her inside.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, staring at her unborn kits. "I'm sorry I don't love you."

How could she love them when she did not love their father? She had tried; she had tried so hard to feel fuzzy, warm, maternal instincts towards them, but all she felt was cold and empty. Her heart was broken.

She couldn't let go of the past, she couldn't forget it and move on. It was like a thorn wedged deep into her heart, so deep that she could not remove it. It tortured her, those memories, those hopes for what could have been.

She longed for amber eyes and golden fur, for broad, powerful shoulders and wide, strong paws. She wanted him, and no-one could replace him.

That apprentice, that naïve, naïve apprentice… How could she not have known? How could she not have known how deeply she was in love? A crush. She thought it was just a crush that she had on her friend. She was wrong.

She hadn't tried to hold onto him… had never told him how she felt. Even when he said they could never see each other again – she hadn't tried to make him stay. She thought she'd get over him. Wrong again.

Nights were the worst. She was alone in the nursery, the only WindClan queen. Alone with her thoughts. Nights had been when they would meet, when DarkClan would assemble beneath the earth. Then she had been Heatherstar, he Lionclaw.

Now he was Lionthroat, proud warrior of ThunderClan. It was whispered that he would be the next deputy, as young as he was. He was the pride and joy of ThunderClan: envied by toms, loved by she-cats.

He loved only one: Icefur – his dainty, beautiful, ferocious mate. Heathereyes saw them at Gatherings, wrapped around each other, totally in love. She felt like she was dying.

That should be her. It could have been. If she had said just three words to him it would be her standing next to him, sharing his nest. His kits would be inside her, not Harespring's.

Why did StarClan take it from her – that life they never had? All the secret meetings, the sweet nothings whispered under the moon, the joys and sorrows and love – why had they taken it from her? It had been just a pawstep away. One wonderful, tantalizing pawstep.

Now it was gone. DarkClan disbanded, their friendship shattered.

If only she had told him.

* * *

** I love Heather/Lion - I haven't read Outcast yet but I'm hoping that if not in that book then later on in the series they'll be friends again. We haven't yet had a cat that left their Clan to go live with their mate (not permenantly anyway) so I think one of them should be the first.**

**Check out my profile! I totally updated it. I now have a blog thing set up, news about all my stories, halls of fame and shame ect. I have also added a couple more "Upcoming Stories".**

**Also, my poll has been updated. There are more stories to choose from.**

**So listen to my shameless plug and check it out!**


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